Machine for arming bomb fuses



Aug. 24, 1943.

E mm fr? mnd Fw E Cly'de as r Mnrgnrec J Patented Aug. 24, 1943 MACHINE non AmvnNG BOMB Fuses Margaret J. Ferrone, Boonton, andv Clyde W.

Burdge, Hackettstown, N. J.

Application January so, 1943, seran No. 474,214 .A

(Granted under theact of March 3, 1883, as amended Aprii`30, 1928; 370 0.6.4757) y I 6 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes Without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a machine for testing the arming movements of lbomb fuse vanes.

rihe rst object is to provide means whereby the introduction into the machine and the `removal therefrom of the fuse, will be greatly -facilitated. Y i

Another object is to provide an indicator in association with a propeller, `to accurately indicate the number of revolutions of the #propeller and thereby indicate the number of revolutions of the bomb propeller necessary to arm the bomb, and to provide an index which, after being moved in relation to an appropriate scale,may be quickly returned-to normal position to be ready to operate in thearming of the next fuse.`

According to the. old method heretofore ernployed, a propeller vane was mounted directly on the fuse with wire fingers transmitting the revolutions of the vane to an indicator. Themeans we employislmuch simpler to accomplish the same purposaand much more efElcient and effects a much greatersaving of time than possible with the old devices. p I u In the present` embodiment of the invention, the part of the fuse operated upon is the part that revolves with thevanes ,of the bomb propeller inthe flight of thefbomb and one of the parts through which the arming wire is threaded the other wire receiving part being carried by a non-rotating part of the bomb. The number of revolutionsreqired `to set the internal mechanism ofthe fuse for arming,which is a known factor, will be indicated on the scale,`conveniently visible to the operator.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevation of 'the machine.

Figure'2 isa central longitudinal section, in a direction diagonally opposite to Figure. 1.

Figure 3 is a section ,taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, .showing the removable pointer-carrying nut and its relation to the scale plate.

Referring to thedrawing, the numeral I designates the base of the machine upon which is mounted a standard 2, provided at its upper end with a bracket 3, and vwith a similar bracket 4 intermediate its length. Each bracket supports a ball bearing assembly. The upper bracket assembly is contained in an apertured enlargement 5, which may be integral with the bracket or secured thereto by suitable means. The enlargement is bored as at` 5 to` receive a disk 6 supported on ball bearings l on the floor of the bore. The upper portion of the enlargement is threaded to receive a threaded closure cap 1', between Which and the disk are ball bearings 3.

important feature` o IThe cap and disk are centrally apertured for the passage of the threaded rod 9, the upper end of which has a bearingy in the cap, the rod being pinned to the disk for joint rotation.

' Theintermediate bracket 4 supports Aan enlargement very similar to the one just described, and comprisesl a centrally apertured enlargement Iii,- bored to receive the disk Il, Vlike the disk t, supported on the floor of bore I2 by ball bearings IS, there being an apertured cap I4 threaded upon the upper part of the enlargement.

A, I The lower unthreaded part I5 of the rod 9, is somewhat larger in diameter than the upper part, and the disk II, like the disk 6 is pinned to the rod, the arrangement being such that the rod and all the parts, presently to be described, are supported in anti-friction manner by the two disks.

Below the enlargement I0, a propeller I6 is secured tothe rod, and below the propeller the rod lis provided with a groove I'I which receives the `end of i a screw i8 inthe sleeve I9 of the hollowhead 20 which envelopes the end ofthe fuse, 'as shown in Figure 2, the head being 'limited in its downward movement by a solid head 2 I, integral with the rod.

The fuse receiving head is, provided with oppositely disposedrecesses 22, which receive the arming wire strip 23, carried by the rotatable part of the fuse,so that when'the head vis rotated with the rnd 9, the stripwill rotate with it, the head, as has been mentioned, being keyed to the rod by the screw and groove connection.

A vise 24 is supported on the base I in front of the standard and directly below`the mechanism that has been described, and its jaws 25 and 26 are shapedV to grip thelower part of the f use when it is being operated upon.' The front jaw 25 is xedit being secured to a bracket 2l, fastened to the base. Aboutcentrally of the fixed jaw is a fuse table 2B, to the under side of which a'bearing 29 is provided for the horizontal arm 33 of a crank or operating arm 3|. Fixed to the arm 30 is a cam 32 received in the fork 33 of a member 34; attached to the removable jaw of the vise, the fit of the cam in the forkbeing such that the crank operating arm 3| if slightly rocked in one direction or the other, the vise jaw 26 `willwbe moved to either grip'or release the fuse, as the requirements of the operation maydictate.

A gnideV 35 is secured tothe vertical portion .of the jaw 25 and may extend through an opening inthe' movableV jaw, for the obvious purpose of guiding the -J'aW-g l the inventon'is the means by which the number of revolutions of the rod 9 is; determined at a glance. This means com-l prises an elongated graduated scale plate 36, secured by screws 31 and 38, to the enlargements 5 and I0, the plate being provided with a narrow slot 39 for the passage of a pointer 40, Whose inner end is secured to one jawof a two-part nut All. This nut comprises jaws 4l hinged together as at 42, each jaw being chamfered as at 43,

to enable the jaws to be rocked apart when the` hand grips dit, one of which is attached vto each jaw, are pressed toward each Other against the pressure of the spring 45. A semi-circular internally threaded recess 46 is in each jaw, and the threads of one recess are a continuation of the threads in the companion recess, and these threads are of the same pitch as the threads on the rod 9, so that when the rodis rotated bythe means presently described, the nut will be fed up the rod, indicating by the pointer, as the nut rises, the number of revolutions of the rod, and informing the operator whenv the fuse elements navebeen suliciently rotated.

Rod 9 is rotated by the propeller acted ,upon by compressed air which may be derived from any .suitable seuree and 'under any suitable, degree 0f pressure and control,l and we do noty limit ourselves to any particular arrangement 'byV which the air is controlled and supplied to the propeller. One way by lwlriicli'this may be accomplished is througlia pipe il communicating Ywith a duct @a and eeririeetine with e number of downwardly directed oriiices in the bottom of the enlargemerit l0.

'In Operation. a fuse is placed. 11111011. the 'table 23 arid, ele-mee@ in, the, Westley rocking the operating arm 3l, v,the head ,2B having been raised by the operator sufticiently to admit Athe fuse. The head is lowered until the' fuse arming strip 23 is received in the recesses 22.' The propeller is then rotated by a compressed air current which rotatesy the rod 9 thereby rotating the' rotatable part, of the fuse- The rotation. of the. red. meanwhile feeds the nut lil upwardly on the rod,r the nut and pointer moving iri relation to the graduatien'sferithe scale: plate, and when Pointer reaeliesv predetermined Ire-int, the, movement 'of the red. iS arresteet The operator will. then release the 'threaded laws Qf the 1111i from thercd by separating the. jaws, when the mit. may be returned to a seat on the cap t4, and the pointer to, its low point on the Scale- We Claim:

l, "In a machine ef the, eharaeter deseriberi, in. Combination, means fersupportiue a fuse, aretatable rod and Iier rotating it, a receiving member sutiable en. the red and keyed thereto for rotation therewith, index means oarred 40,11 the red, connections between'the red and the index. means. whereby Said means is'meved longitudinally "of the'red: when the rod is, rotated, a calibratedindicator scale cooperating withthe index means to measure the number of revolutions of the rod, 4and means carried by the fuse receiving head for operative engagementwith an element carried by a rotatable vpart of the fuse.

2. In a machine of `the characterdescribed, in combination, means for supportingand-stabilizinga` fuse, a rotatable rod, a propeller ixedon the rod for rotating it, a fuse vreceivingmember slidable on said rod and keyed theretofor rotation therewith, index means carried by the rod, connections between the indexmeans and rod whereby the index means is movedlongitudinally of therod when the rod is rotated, a calibrated indicator scale 'cooperating with the index means the threads of the rod, the nut comprising hinged jaws eah of which is provided with a semi-circu lar internally threaded recess, the threads of one jaw being a continuation of the threads of the companion jaw, the nut threads lbeing of a pitchr to coact with the threads on the rod,means for opening the jaws to disengage their threads from the threads of the rod to permit the nut to bel manually returned to normal position, a pointer carried by the nut, a calibrated plate cooperatiifigl with thepointer to indicate the number o f -revolutionsof the '-rocl, and mean-sy carriedgby the fuse# receiving head for operati-ve engagement with a rotatable part carried by a fuse. l

4. In a machine or the character described, in corio-bmation,l a standard having upper andllower laterally extending brackets, -a rod supported by and rotatably mounted in said brackets, a part of thelrod loe-tween the brackets being-- threaded, mea-ns for-rotatingI the red', a -nut seated-on the lower bracket and having threads coaotri'ng` with the threads ofthe rod and provided Withf'fa pointer, a `calibrated indicator plate "sex-zur'ed,v to the brackets land cooperating with the pointer to measure the number or revolutions .of the rod 'as the nut traverses the' rod, mea-ns for manually releasing'thenut from therod to permit ittolbe returned to normal position independentlyof the rod, and a hollow fuse-receiving head-rslidable' 'on the rod; and keyed' thereto for rotation therewith, the1 headvbeing provided with meansv Vforopeiotiveengagement with an -elementcar-riedby a rotatable-part ot afuse; I

5,. The invention according to, claim z-,eharacterized in that the means 'for support-ing andy stabilizing the fuse'comprises` a vise hav-ing` a fuse supporting table between its jawsik 6,1111, a machine .for determining; the Yextent ofthe threaded' relation.; efthrealed members to be, tested, a rotatable threaded rod',r bearings 'for the rod, a head on the rod-'bored'to receiveone'of i said. members, the headv bellg'slidbly mounted on the rod and keyed ther-etc 'forjoint rotation, means for rotating the rod, a nut'compris'ing hinged Jaws. eeen aware/idea wirr: an. niemally threaded recess, the threads in one'iawbeing a continua-tion of the threads in the companionH jaw andgin eoordinaticnwith `thejtrhreadsgy of the rod, means carried by the yjaws to'vfacilitat'e the manual separat-ionofv the jaws to enablef-theenut to be moved on the rod independently cif-th'efrod threads, la pointer Ycarried bythe nut,y a cali'- brated indicator scale cooperating with the pointer to indicate the` number of revolutions-of the r-od, andmeansl carried by the-headriforlope Y erative engagement withthe one oisaid members tobe receivedbyi the'head.' f

MARGARET JOANA 'FERRONE CLYDE BURDGE. I 

